Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-08-12
MEN IN THEIR BONES.
ws,rRe THOSE THAT HANG IN
DOCTORS, CLOSETS CONE FROM.

w.,rer THOSE THAT HANG IN
DOCTORS CLOSETS CONE FROM
. rodu.try withdut American Foot
hold : Thrty Dollar Skeletons q
p.ther Inferior QuAiity-A Fine Sort
Art,cuiatsd With silver Plated Wire.
The doctor began to talk about skeletons
He drew q tradecircular, issued by wnoie-
.ale dealer in surgical Instruments ana sup
Mos from his pocket The circular CON
ta,nsd an annual review Of the surgical IN
struments and supplies market, Fart way
down the neatly printed page appeared 'nis
paragraph which the doctor read'
aSkeletons have ruled firm ana Acuse
throughout the year, with prices uncnahgeu'
/ We have been able to supply the demand Ior
the common varieties promptly pue ..o
finger grades were scarce, ana orders iot ~
formities could not always 20 niieo ~ 49,
In this regard the market IS sun uhcnanseu,
although our broker in Paris mas orae.s "
buy everything offered az Inc usual 49, :.
Tha doctor read the paragraph much as
bo,,s ~, tho street eat ice cream out OF the
,,ennv poblets they buy Of italian venders,
that Is. slowly and with evident relish. Wnen
ha had finished it and folded the circular, ne
said: 49,,
aThere IA no branch of the enormous I'M
MORT trade Of the American people so interest
Inc as the trade in skeletons, although JUS
magnitude and Importance are known 70 Dus
4 few. Not that its magnitude or vaiue iilaAe
Il interesting; it attracts attention soiely 20.
cause the article Is in itself fascinating. but
there are features OF the trade that may not
sscapa the eve Of the political economist. FOR
instance this great nation OF 60,O0O,OUO OF
reonle il wholly dependent on foreign coun-
tr;es for its skeletons. Not but what Physi-
clan here and there may have specimen
which has been untimely snatched from the
country graveyard, but the stock skeletons
~ the country are all imported, and that
too simply because the pauper labor Of the
old world is able to string bones together for
less money than an American laborer could
, live and pay taxes on.
ANATOMICAL KNOWLEDGE.
aThe man who can put the bones OF tne
hpman frame together must be an anatomist;
he must know, for instance, where the collar
bona IL located and what it's functions are.
/ No anatomist, not evenA pauper anatomist
> in the morgue in Paris, would be 30 foolish as
, to rest the butt Of . gun containing four
drains of powder and an ounce and quarter
of shot on his collar bone, and In thai posi-
! ton fire it, Collar bones were not mads Tor
. such use. Now, although possessed OF 50
> much more knowledge than some sportsmen,
the Paris anatomist is willing to work for q
: franc day, and the capitalist who employs
] him Il thus enabled to sell skeletons at such
a low rate that even new fiedged doctors In
g. America cannot compete.
- ~vynInt ban mr.
, mounted and neatly packed in white pine
| box can be had for the small sum of $50. The
| box can be stood on end, with the skeleton
. hanging from the top by screw running
down through the skull. If the box is covered
= with red plush and lined with blue satin the
: simple packing case becomes a neat, attrac-
Q tive and economical anatomical closet. Of
course, most physicians prefer black wal
/: nut cabinet, with glass doors covered with
l a red curtain, but that is matter of taste,
Q not that / would recommend any one to
t purchase $50 skeleton unless for temporary
t use They are not over substantial; they
/ cannot be polished up very nicely, and they
i are apt to crumble You see, the $50 skele
n tons are taken from the corpses of people well
t advanced i'll life, like yourself, where the cal
It careous matter predominates in the bones.
s Besides, some people have bones that are
:, naturally more brittle than other peoples
d The anatomist in the Paris skeleton factory
r is able to tell by the looks of the subject just
y how far he may go in whitening the bones
4 for mounting, for the whitening process tends
9 to make the bones more brittle than they are
n naturally. The skeleton of young person
: whose bones are Of the right quality will
l. stand great deal of work, and great dea
d of work, even at q franc day, means an en-
+ HANGED price A first class skeleton will bring
s125. and at that figure it would be delight
to the profession, having silver plated wire
:. articulations, and everything in style. Now
= and then some man with an artistic taste il
!. such matters will have a skeleton mounte6
= with solid silver Although not quite so sub
- stantial or well able to stand the rough usag,
/, to which students subject such specimens, thi
= love of the beautiful ought by all means to b,
- encouraged.
Il AT MODERATE PRICES.
IA "rhe ordinary demand for skeletons is lik,
% the demand in most branches of trade Good
d substantial goods at moderate prices are wha
q are wanted Well whitened bones articulatet
> with polished steel and packed in good case
r. at from $50 to $40 are In such demand tina
you couldn't find half dozen-no, nor ,
It quarter dozen-in the city at any one time
Il except shortly after the arrival of a French
e line steamer, when fresh importation nigh,
y increase the stock temporarily Notle tina,
d 300 of these skeletons are sold every yeal
d right here in this city, where all the import
d ing houses are located. l want to emphasize
Y the fact that the importing houses are located
d here, because Chicago house and a concern
v in Boston both advertise skeletons of thei,
r own importation, when the custom house re-
), turns do not show any consignments of such
n goods to either house. This attempt to take
n away part of New York's prestige as a trade
|, center ought to be discouraged.
a "In addition to this staple trade in medium
grade skeletons there Is an increasing demand
for de.ormities. Your skeleton with two
fractures of the collar bone, if perfectly
l. healed, would bring IS extra, but If accom-.
!, panied by tho certificate of reputable phy.
>; stefan like myself, stating how the bone was
q broken, would bring $40 extra. The added
u price would be for the certificate as much as
. for any intrinsic value of your skeleton IF
Is now, you were afflicted with curvature NJ
a the spine, or If you were woman and the
pelvis were of q novel and unusual sbane
a your skeleton might, when well mounted
bring as much as SITS or $780, There ore
l. cases OF deformities and abnormal prowtbs
IN r--~ n